Abstract
Salvage logging after natural disturbance has received increased scrutiny in recent years because of concerns over detrimental effects on tree regeneration and increased fine fuel levels. Most research on tree regeneration after salvage logging comes from fire-prone systems and is short-term in scope. Limited information is available on longer term responses to salvage logging after windstorms or from forests outside of fire-prone regions. We examined tree and shrub regeneration after a stand-replacing windstorm, with and without salvage logging and prescribed fire. Our study takes place in northern Minnesota, USA, a region where salvage logging impacts have received little attention. We asked the following questions: (i) does composition and abundance of woody species differ among post-disturbance treatments, including no salvage, salvage alone, and salvage with prescribed burning, 12 years after the windstorm?; (ii) is regeneration of Populus, the dominant pre-blowdown species, inhibited in unsalvaged treatments?; and (iii) how do early successional trajectories differ among post-blowdown treatments?
Keywords
blowdown,
salvage logging,
forest regeneration,
Minnesota,
prescribed fire,
disturbance
Citation
Palik, Brian J.; Kastendick, Doug. 2009. Woody plant regeneration after blowdown, salvage logging, and prescribed fire in a northern Minnesota forest. Forest Ecology and Management. 258: 1323-1330.
